The Dragon Lords
by RCT DELTA 20
Summary: This is the story of a young boy who dreams of becoming a Dragon Rider. His dream comes true when a baby dragon hatches for him on his 4th birthday. Yet as he grows up his fate becomes more clouded. Is he the one that is meant to stop an ancient evil from taking over the world, or the one who allows it to happen? You may notice similarities with eragon
1. Chapter 1

The Dragon Lord Prologue

In the distant world of Caladonia, where fantasy rules supreme, there is a land filled with wonder. Mathladon, the nation of the four kingdoms. The Elven nation to the north, Alasma, is surrounded by vast forests, bountiful in fruit and plant-life. Its people are all gifted with the power of magic. The vast mountain range to the South is the Dwarven realm, Tortunga, filled with riches hidden deep below the earth. They are expert craftsmen, in steel and stone and though they cannot wield much magic, you would find none better to make enchanted weapons. In-between the land of the Elves and the Dwarves, next to the coast, lies the kingdom of man, Calathorn, the largest of the four nations, comprising of lowlands, perfect for farming, and a good portion of the forest of Alan-or, the border of between Alasma and Calathorn, where the hunters practice their trade. It is a trading nation, buying and selling from both the Dwarves and the Elves. They also possess the ability to change the form of one matter into another, the science of alchemy. Then there is the fourth nation. A vast wasteland at the edge of the country where any creature, whether magical or not, find it difficult to survive. Not because of the inhospitable nature of the land, but because of the inhospitable lords who rule this land. This is the desert of Valona, the domain of the Dragons. Their scales burn like fire in the sun's reflection and their strength is legendary. Yet you will find no creature more intelligent and cunning as they. Dragons were loved by all, great songs and feasts in their honour from the elves and great jewels and suits of armour were created by the dwarves for them. Even the humans admired them but, due to the stubborn pride of the Dragons, had no contact with them. Eventually, out of greed and pride, the Dragons attacked Calathorn, looking for more land. The humans, despite their admiration and fear of dragons, quickly mobilized their forces to defend their nation. Only an elite group with extraordinary skills and equipment, known as the Knights of Calathorn, were able to take the fight to the dragons, but they were too few to make a difference. For a year they raged a bloody war against each other until, after enough blood was spilt, the elves and dwarves stepped in. Though the elves favoured the dragons and the dwarves man, they knew that unless, the war ended, the kingdom of man would cease to exist, and the Dragons would not recover from their loses for many generations. On a small island off the coast of Calathorn an armistice was signed between the two races, and just in time too. A week after it was signed reports came in of strange, dark figures amassing outside the border. Concerned, mankind sent a scouting party to check out these disturbing reports. Ten were sent out, only three returned. They confirmed the reports of monsters on the borders and after confirming their reports with the Elves these creatures were revealed to be Orks, a race of green-skinned marauders who relished battle and conquest. Centuries ago, before either man, dwarf and dragon set foot on Mathladon, the Orks had begun a campaign to conquer all of Mathladon and the native races to Mathladon, known only as the dynasty of the four blades, fought them. The dynasty was made up of giants, shades from the nether-realm, the early ancestors of the elves, the Auleuvian and the strongest of the four races, the Titans. Each of these races fought against the Orks and, after a year of fighting, drove them back beyond the border, but the Orks left a deadly parting gift. A deadly poison against which there seemed no defence. The giants fell first, due to their low immune systems, followed by the shades who, now without any mortal bodies to inhabit, were forced back into oblivion. The Auleuvian, gifted with powerful magic, cast wards to protect themselves and their descendants. However, even with all their power, they could not escape the poison's deadly fate. They were no longer immortal and their vast magical power was severely weakened. Finally fell the Titans. While most of their race fell, a small few offered themselves to the creator, and were spared a death by the poison. They exist now as Demi-Gods, serving the creator in all things. Before the Orks could try again, the first dragons arrived in Mathladon. Fearing the dragon's power, the Orks, in their weakened state, retreated further back towards their homeland. Now they had returned to destroy everyone, and everything, in Mathladon. Under the advice of the elves, all the four nations banded together to defend their country. By now the human military had split into two. The majority of the forces remaining as the Royal Army, the remaining smaller number belonged to the Knights of Calathorn, who had a vendetta to pay against the Orks who had killed their leader, the Knight Commander. For a year the four nations fought against the Orks until, like in the past, they forced them to withdraw. Everyone, bar the Knights, stopped at the country's border, not wishing to walk into an Ork trap. The Knights, still enraged by the loss of their leader, pursued the Orks all the way back to their homeland. Because of this, they were spared the Orks parting gift. Again their poison swept across the land. The Humans were greatly affected, the death toll rising into the thousands. The Dwarves retreated back into their tunnels and sealed them up, trying to prevent the spread of the disease amongst their people. The Elves, though their wards still intact, feared that death would take them if something was not done.

A month after the Orks had fled, whether by accident or a stroke of luck, a young Human scientist decided to combine Elven magic, Dwarven enchantment and Human alchemy together. The result was staggering. An antidote was created capable of curing the Ork's disease from each race. All, bar the dragons, accepted the cure. The dragons did not feel the effects of the poison and thus felt that they were immune. This idea changed when the Knights returned. With their bloodlust sated, and with greater confidence in their abilities, they decided to fulfil the dying wish of the Knight Commander, the eradication of the Dragon race. It was during the first battle between these two foes that the poison took its toll on the dragons. They found their strength weakened and their ability to breathe fire gone. The poison, though not killing them directly, would be the cause of their undoing. With a cocky attitude, the Knights changed their name to the Dragon Slayers of Calathorn. Battle after battle was lost as the Slayers killed more and more dragons. Fearing extinction, some dragons swallowed their pride and went to man for help. They made a deal with man that, in exchange for the cure, the dragons would merge with the human nation and they would become one. Many dragons saw this as a way that man could enslave them, while others believed it was the only way the preserve their species. A quarter of the dragon population submitted to human rule, while the remaining three quarters returned to Valona where they met their fate at the hands of the Slayers. Soon the only dragons that remained were those under the protection of man. Eventually, the Slayers declared that all dragons would be exterminated to prevent anything like the Human-Dragon wars from happening again. Obliged to help the dragons, the rest of man shielded them from the Slayer's wrath. Outraged, the Slayers declared war on the kingdom of man calling them traitors for shielding these mere beasts from the Devine judgement of the Gods. For many months brother battled brother and human sword spilled human blood. The Royal Army outnumbered the Slayers 50:1 yet it could easily be said that one Slayer was worth fifty swordsmen. For many months these two factions fought, neither one gaining the advantage. Humbled by the selfless acts of the humans to protect them, the dragons decided to swallow their pride once more and help the humans by giving them their power over magic. For the first time in history, Man was able to wield magic; some even considered them more powerful than the elves. With this power the tide of battle changed in favour of the Royal Army. These mages prevented the advance of the Slayers but only thanks to the Riders were the Slayers eventually defeated. The Riders were warriors with skill in both sword and magic to rival a slayer and elf respectively. On the island of White Scar, the island where the armistice was signed, a new alliance was formed. Both dragon and man came together to form The Dragon Lords. This organization fell outside the rule of the King but at the start consisted of only humans and dragons. These Riders were the final tipping point in the war. Within a month half of the Slayers had been killed and many more severely wounded. Whereas only two riders, and their dragons, were lost. Having the choice of annihilation or surrendering, they chose the latter. By order of the King, the Slayers were banished to Valona and never allowed to return to Calathorn, less they be executed for treason, but they were allowed to live.

The Dragon Lords were praised for their timely intervention and hailed as the Saviours of Mathladon, as it was feared that the Slayers would turn their attention to the other races if they were successful in destroying the dragons, as they had supported the dragons, meaning the other races would feel the Slayer's wrath. They were granted land in all the four kingdoms. In Alasma they were given the tallest tree in the realm, Elesmara. It became an academic fortress in later years. It held vast libraries of tomes and scrolls that any Rider, or dragon, in fact, an eager scholar would find helpful in their studies. This tower was not barred from non-riders, but only the libraries were available to everyone. The tree was enchanted so that when attacked it would turn as hard as steel.

In the mountain range of Tortunga the dwarves carved a fortress out of the rock face, Traig Vendor. It is here that armour and weapons are made for the riders and their dragons. The dwarves create the armour and some of the weapons but weapons like swords and spears are made by the elven blacksmiths stationed there. Their blades are as light as a feather and would never rust or dull.

In Valona lies a giant wall spanning from the forests of Alasma to the mountains of Tortunga. At random intervals of the wall large towers can be found acting as a bastion of defence but the largest of these towers is the fortress known only as Hell's Gate. Here the strongest, and most brutal, of riders are stationed. With the threat of an Ork invasion always a concern, they would act as the first line of defence until more forces could bolster their defences. The wall, made from both stone and iron, has survived many skirmishes with Ork raiding parties, with the defences soon forcing them to retreat.

Finally, the last fortress that was made for them was White Scar fortress, the main headquarters of the order, found on the same island as where the order was founded. The isle of the armistice as it became known as. Here you will find new recruits, usually sons and daughters of noble birth or those who have been scouted by the riders themselves, being trained to become the next generation of Riders. In White Scar is the Elder Council. They are riders and dragons who have been chosen by the previous council to leader the Order of the Dragon Lords.

White Scar is by far the largest of the four fortresses and the best defended. It is here that new baby dragons are born, in the safety and protection of the riders.

For many years the Order of the Dragon Lords protected and served the people of Mathladon, but things soon took a turn for the worst.

The Riders were meant to protect and serve the people of Mathladon, but there were those who felt that the people should be serving them. These riders, and dragons alike, became greedy in their power. They sought to use dark forbidden magic to increase their power, but there was a reason why is was forbidden. Using dark magic required taking mana from the nether-realm, the dominion of the Shades. Wanting to reclaim their land, Shades crossed over again into the world of the living and possessed the bodies of both rider and dragon. When the Dragon Lords finally learned of what had occurred, a quarter of the order had been tainted by black magic, many possessed by Shades. An almighty purge of the order began with many riders and dragons losing their lives. Eventually, the tainted ones fled White Scar, and any other fortress that they took refuge in, and went into hiding around Mathladon. These rogues soon became known as the Black Disciples.

If we fast forward to the present day we will see that the Dragon Lords are still in power with remnants of the Disciples evident in some parts of the county. The Dragon Slayers, who despite their small number remained active, are now hired mercenaries rather than the fearless elite that they once were to hunt down rouge riders and Black Disciple. Both these factions will play a key role in this story as they will shape and define the life of a small farm boy who is destined for greatness.


	2. Chapter 2

The Dragon Lords Part 1-Fateful beginning

In the kingdom of Calathorn there lies a small mountain village on the border of Alasma. It is so small and insignificant that the King takes no heed of its existence. Its name is Bo-shal, a town of about fifty three. It's a content village that has been able to survive by itself for many years. During the winter season traders visit the village to buy any goods and extra resources, wood, food and cattle, that the villages have spare. Many of the farms are close to the village but one farm in particular is located a fair few kilometres from the village. Out of all the farms in Bo-shal it is by far the largest with ten fields for crops, fifty acres of land for the livestock and five buildings at its heart. The barn, grain silo, winepress, windmill and the farmhouse. Many of the other farms had only one of two of these buildings. The owners of this farm are the O'Neil's. Thanks to their farm, they have collected up a small fortune. Daniel O'Neil used to be a Lieutenant in the Royal Army but when he met the love of his life, the now Katherine O'Neil, he bought his leave and used what he had left to buy and build the farm they now own. Soon after completing the farm house he married Katherine. Despite being married two years they have yet to bear any children but they are content with looking after Katherine's three year old brother, Alexander Foldon. Their father died in a battle against a remnant of the Black Disciples two years earlier and the Plague took their mother soon after that, so Daniel invited Alexander to live with them. Wanting the best for him, Daniel set aside a tenth if what he earned from the farm to help Alexander in later life. He planned to use some of the money to get Alexander a private tutor when he reached five, but from a young age Alexander has dreamed of become a rider in the Order of the Dragon Lords. Because he is still quite young, Daniel decided to wait until Alexander was older before asking him what he wanted to do with himself. Until then, Alex, as he became known by the farm-hands, helps out around the farm as best he can, carrying out the food for the chickens, helping to feed the pigs, cows and horses, helping to harvest the crops and other simple tasks around the farm. This is his story;

"Alexander!" A female voice called from the entrance of the barn. Alex looked out from his hiding spot and saw a young woman in her early twenties standing at the barn door. She wore a brown skirt that went from her hips straight down to her ankles. She had an old white shirt on, with a hint of brown, covered by an apron. She had her brunette hair pinned up in a bun just above her nape. Her brown eyes scanned the barn's interior, piercing all of Alex's hiding spots. "Alex, I know you're in here." She called again. When no-one answered back she said, "Oh well. Guess he doesn't want any supper then. And I made him potato dragons (Dragon shaped potato wedges). Guess he'll just have to starve." She turned to walk away when she heard a rustling from the back of the barn. A small boy in brown slacks and a dirty white shirt burst out of from his hiding spot behind a hay bail. He had short black hair with large blue eyes and his face was covered in dirt of some form.

"Did you really make them?" He asked with a smile on his face.

"No, but I knew that that would get you out into the open." The woman replied. She hooked her hands under his armpits and lifted him off the ground to prevent him from running away.

"Aww, sis. I was having fun..." Alex started before he was interrupted by a loud voice from outside.

"You were having fun? You are supposed to be doing your chores." The voice boomed. As Alex was carried out of the barn he was dropped at the feet of a giant burly man. He wore tanned brown leather trousers held up my suspenders with a worn grey shirt underneath it. His brown hair being disturbed by the breeze and he had the beginning of a bushy beard.

"I was going to get round to it after..."

"Yeah, yeah. After you've finished daydreaming about being a rider." Daniel retorted. He hooked his hands under Alex's arms and lifted him onto his shoulders.

"But you said that I'd make a good rider?" Alex asked, looking down at Daniel.

"And I still mean it. But a good rider needs to listen, now let's go get something to eat." They walked into the farm house and into the kitchen. Katherine marched over to the stove and began to stir the contents in one of the pots while Daniel helped Alex into his chair. After their meal of roast vegetables and meat, Daniel led Alex out to the barn and asked one of the farmhands not to let him out of their sights until he'd finished his chores. He was to help round up all the animals and get them into their shelters. Mainly he handled shooing in the chickens, pigs and sheep, requiring some help with the latter.

"Are you sure we're being fair on him?" Katherine asked Daniel an hour later as he was cleaning out the stables with a few others.

"If he wants to be a Rider, then I'm going to help him whatever way I can." He planted the blade of his shovel and leaned against it. "These chores will teach him discipline, as well as helping to develop his muscles. When he comes of age, I'll teach him how to wield a sword and how to defend himself, as well as getting him a tutor who would be able teach him everything he'd need to know to become a Rider. With some luck he'll become noticed by one of the order's scouts..."

"You know that's a rare thing to happen." Katherine interrupted him.

"I know it's a long shot, but the only other chance he would have would be to make a Pilgrimage to White-Scar and, well, we both know that he wouldn't survive the journey. It's too far and there are too many dangers along the way."

"But if he did make it they'd have no choice but to accept him."

"Not necessarily. He'd still have to pass a skill test before he would be considered." Before Katherine could mount another argument one of the farmhands ran into the stable, calling out to him. He tried to speak but his gasps for breath kept interrupting him. "Easy there, just take a deep breath and calm down."

Heeding his advice the farmhand, a boy of sixteen and a small build, inhaled a long and deep breath before he began to speak so fast that Daniel was unable to understand him. After telling him to slow down, the boy only uttered two words before Daniel was gone. "It's Alex..."

Running faster than his legs could carry him Daniel sailed over the farm towards the barn where a large number of the farmhands had gathered. As Daniel pushed his way through all of them he saw the lead farmhand, Tom Wise, a man of about thirty with shirt brown hair and a neatly trimmed goatee, holding Alex's body in his arms, trying to rouse him. Compared to Tom's muscular arms, Alex looked like a new born child. "What happened? Daniel asked, fear resonating in his voice.

"We're not sure." Tom responded. "One minute he was leading the cows into the barn, the next he'd fallen unconscious." Daniel reached out to take him from Tom's arms. When he had him securely in his arms he pressed his ear against his chest. To his relief his heart was still beating and his lungs were still breathing.

"It's okay; I think he's just fallen asleep." He reassured them.

"How can you be so sure?" One of the farmhands asked. Before Daniel could answer, a small snort popped out of Alex's mouth. A wave of relief washed over them all.

Daniel returned to his feet with Alex sleeping in his arms. He looked up at the sky and saw the first stars emerging into the night sky, as well as the dark clouds of a thunder storm. "Right, back to work. I need all the animals inside before the storm gets here. Let's move it people!" They all returned to their jobs while Daniel went to find Katherine, who was running towards him.

"Is he okay?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah, he just fell asleep." He handed Alex over to her and told her to get inside.

"What are you going to do?"

"Seems there's a storm on the way. Got to get the animals inside, it's going to be a bad one." With that he ran back to help everyone else while Katherine proceeded inside with Alex in her arms. Just as she made it into the house the heavens opening and the rain began to pour. As she ascended the wooden stairs to Alex's room she could hear the distinct sounds of thunder resonating from the east. She walked into the bedroom and placed Alex onto his bed. She placed the covers over his fragile, petite body and drew the curtains on his window to stop the lightning from walking him from his slumber. She turned and left the room just as a crack of lightning shot across the sky, illuminating the room for a split second.

When she re-emerged back onto the landing Daniel had just arrived at the top of the stairs. "I think I know why he collapsed today." He said.

"How?" Katherine humoured him. His answer was not of words, but an action. He draw a small bundle from behind his back. In the bundle was a book telling the story of the Dragon Lords and other mythical organizations, numerous cow bells of varying weights and sizes and a crudely made wooden sword.

"He's been training to become a Rider when he's supposed to be having a break."

"So he's been reading and practicing his swordplay, but what are the bells for?" Daniel demonstrated by wrapping the leather bands attached to the bells around his hands and lifted them as you would a dumbbell. "Poor thing. He really is obsessed with becoming a Rider."

"Yeah, I'm going to have a talk with him tomorrow, but first can you help me find the towels?" Katherine looked down and saw a small pool of water by Daniel's feet. She looked at the rest if him and noticed that there was no dry spot to be anywhere on his person.

"Come on, let's get you dried off." She led him away to the bathroom when another lightning bolt shot across the sky. "Another one? Something must be happening somewhere to be angering the gods so."

"Pssh, don't tell me you still believe in those silly superstitions?"

"And why shouldn't I?" Katherine retorted.

"It's just a story. I highly doubt that the gods are bothered by the actions of mere mortals."

But what about mortals who desire to become Gods?

A man in a matte black cloak walked down the marble corridor of a giant stone fortress, being pursued by many armoured figures with blades ablaze with different bright colours. When they got close enough to strike him, he clicked his fingers and a wall of fire appeared behind him, blocking the armoured figures' way. "And I thought they'd be a challenge." The cloaked figure remarked as he continued down the passageway. Within a few minutes he was outside the giant fortress. He walked towards the edge of a nearby cliff as the rain battered down onto the ground. When he reached the cliff's edge he looked over the edge at the massive drop into the dark waters below. How far it was down was impossible to tell in the current conditions. He turned upon hearing something behind him. There stood dozens upon dozens of armoured figures having already surrounded him.

"Return it to us and your life may yet be spared." One shouted. They all began to inch closer to him, blades drawn and pointing at him.

"I have a better idea." The stranger replied and he jumped backwards off the edge and into the depths below. When the armoured figures ran over to check they saw him gliding away on a dark purple dragon.

"I take it that you got what we came for?" The dragon asked.

"Yes," The stranger replied pulling his right hand out from under his cloak and revealing a massive polished stone. "I have the key to our destiny." He began to look at the sapphire rock with orange veins skirting across it. "Soon little one, soon you shall be in the hands of your Rider."


	3. Chapter 3

The Dragon Lords Part 2-Eggs aren't cheap

Alex opened his eyes to the bright sunshine illuminating his room. The storm had broken and the sky was cloudless. He emerged from his bed and stretched his arms out as he yawned. Noticing that he was still in yesterday's clothes, he grabbed a shirt and trousers and proceeded down the hallway towards the bathroom. Despite it being light outside, Alex was the only person in the house awake. He crept past his sister's bedroom, though with Daniel's snoring he doubted a dragon's roar would have woken them up. He walked into the bathroom and silently closed the door. Most farms only had a large bucket for washing themselves, not the O'Neil's. They had a ceramic basin with silver taps on a small wooden unit, with a medium oval shaped mirror hanging above it, and a large ceramic bath with a silver rim and gold trimmings. The sink was too high for Alex to reach it easily but he had a small wooden stool to stand on. He looked at himself in the mirror, turned the hot water tap on and began to undress. When the basin was filled up enough he grabbed a nearby sponge and began to wash his petite naked form. When he was finished he dressed his lower body and began to wash his face. After the grime was removed he dried his face off and continued to look at his reflection in the mirror. His small body had the markings of muscle build-up on his chest and arms. Admiring his small body he began to flex his minuscule muscles. He was so preoccupied by his muscles that he didn't realize Daniel standing in the doorway.

"Looking for something?" Daniel joked, startling Alex. He wobbled backwards and crashed onto the floor.

"Oww..." Alex moaned. "How long have you been standing there?" He asked still lying on the floor. Daniel, dressed only in brown trouser, tutting, came over to him and helped him up.

"Long enough." He helped him get dressed and led him downstairs. "Your sister and I need to have a word with you." When they walked into the kitchen there was Katherine, still in her pink nightgown and an apron strung across the front of her body with her hair tied behind her head, cooking food over the stove. As she turned to dish up breakfast Alex gulped. She was wearing the face she used when he was in-trouble.

"What have I done?" Alex asked, anticipating what was coming. Daniel answered by dropping the cowbells on the table. Alex looked at the bells, back at Daniel, then back the bells. He repeated the process five times before say, "I didn't do it."

"These were found in your hiding spot." Daniel responded.

"I don't know how they got there." Alex retorted quickly looking for a way out. Katherine walked over to the table and deposited their breakfast on the table.

"Alex, we're not going to shout at you. We just want to know why?" Unable to look away from her face, Alex eventually gave and told them what he had been doing over the past few days. After breakfast, and a stern telling off, he was taken outside and given his chores for the day. Helping the farmhands with collecting the milk and mucking out the stables. This was his general routine for the next few months as the sessions changed from autumn to winter and finally spring. When the snow stopped falling, it was a sign of the coming of the traders. They visited Bo-shal twice every year, after the cold season was over and just after the harvest. They always bought what food and other resources the villagers had in excess, normally for a reasonable price, as well as offering some of their own wares. This was the case for their visit this year. It was the first visit of the year and Alex's favourite of the two. The traders came on the eve of the anniversary of his birth, meaning he was allowed to go into town with Daniel and some of the other farm hands and buy something from the traders for his birthday, normally it would be a bag of sweets, but this year was different.

Katherine helped Alex put on his massive fur coat, while Daniel stood by the door with a large sheep skinned vest over his worn, brown tunic. "Sis, do I really need to wear all this?" Alex whined.

"Last time you nearly caught your death of cold!" Katherine retorted, fastening a scarf around his neck.

"Truth be told, it was just a bad cold." Daniel corrected.

"For someone of his age it's just as serious."

"Whatever, all I'm worried about is the time you spend worrying about him. I'm starting to feel jealous." Daniel pouted. Before he could break her, she kicked them out the door shouting orders to Daniel, who just smiled and waved. They proceeded through the thick snow towards the barn though Alex had to stretch to get his petite feet into Daniel's boot prints. It wasn't long before they reached the barn where some of the other farmhands had a cart readied with all the supplies that they intended to sell to the traders. When they reached the cart Daniel lifted Alex and put him into the driver's seat of the cart. "It's going to be a long trek to reach the town, so I think you should stay on here. When we get closer to the town, you can walk it the rest of the way." Daniel explained to him. With a sad look on his face, Alex nodded in acknowledge, and with that they began their decent to the village. The farm was built on a large hill some distance from the village meaning that they could only see the small wooden houses spread around the snow covered valley. The trail that led from the farm to the village was long and covered in snow and ice. It took them twice as long to descend the trail because of the horses and cart slipping and sliding but, with the farmhands guiding them, they soon reached a part of the path where they could all find some grip. It was at this point that Alex was allowed down. Within minutes they were on the outskirts of the village where the traders had set up their tents. The tents were an assortment of colours and sizes. As the farmhands began to unload the goods they'd brought with them, Daniel took Alex to the side. "I'm trusting you not to get yourself into too much trouble while we go and sort this out." He gave him a small bag of coins. "Go and buy yourself some sweets and remember, there'll be friends everywhere so if the traders try anything, just holler and someone will be there in moments." Daniel told him as he turned to help unload the cart. After a few steps he stopped and shouted to Alex, "Almost forgot, Bradley sent you a few silvers for your birthday." He threw him another bag. "Spend them wisely." With the bags tied to his belt he trotted off into the crowd. He always enjoyed walking around the tents, browsing their wares and sniffing the smell of the different exotic foods. He was almost about to move into the next alley of tents when he noticed the tent of Bo-shal's resident merchant, David Jones. He pushed through the crowd until he stood in front of David's stall. He was a large man with a big muscles and a large, protruding belly. He was a bald man with a thick brown goatee. His face was stern and rough, the face of a man still haunted by his past, yet when he saw Alex his eyes shone with a happiness that spread across his entire body.

"Master Alexander, it's good to see you again." He spoke with a gentle smile.

"Hello David, how's business?" Alex answered, trying to sound like he understood what he was saying.

"It has been slow. The winter always affects my profits as it's difficult for my supplies to reach me, but I was lucky this year." He picked up a small wooden box from under the stall and placed it on the counter. "Just got a new shipment of Dwarven Gumdrops." He removed a small multi-coloured sphere from the box and deposited it into his mouth. "Truly they have mastered the art of enchantment." Dwarven Gumdrops were Alex's favourite. No matter how long you left them, they would never go off. The different assortment of colours was down to the enchantment the dwarves had put on them. They changed colour in your mouth and tasted different depending on your mood. The better your mood, the better the taste.

"How much for a bag?" Alex asked.

David scratched his goatee, trying to come up with a fair price. "Well, I'd normally sell them for a silver piece, but for you I'll make an exception. For one silver you can have two bags." He smiled. "That should last you a fair few months." Alex rummaged into his money bags and lifted out three silver pieces. When he put them on the table, David opened his mouth in amazement.

"I'll take six bags then." David picked up the silver pieces and weighted them in his hands.

"Where did you get these?" He asked, a sly grin on his face, implying that he stole them.

"Bradley sent me them."

A sad expression appeared on David's face. "Still fighting in the war?"

"Yeah." Alex replied, the same sad look upon his face. Bradley was Katherine's twin and had enrolled in the Royal Army to fight a guerrilla war against the Black Disciples. Alex had only seen pictures of him; they'd never actually met in person.

"Well, I guess they'll last you about a year then." He said as he placed six medium sized cloth bags on the table. "Though I don't think Daniel is going to be too happy with you spending everything on sweets."

"Oh, I've got more some more left." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver piece and fifty coppers worth. "I can still afford something else."

"Well then, I won't keep you any longer." He smiled as he helped Alex with the bags. They were too big for him to tie to his belt so David produced a small sack that was big enough to hold all the bags but small enough that Alex could carry it. After waving goodbye, Alex merged back into the crowd. For the rest of the day he looked around the other stalls, browsing the different items for sale. Most of the traders shooed him away after he just stood there staring at their goods. It soon became dark and Alex decided to find Daniel and head off back to the farm. He began to make his way to the outskirts of the tents and eventually managed to push his way through the crowd. He emerged into a vast white clearing that stretched all the way down the mountain and bordered with the forest of Alan-or. This was the trail that all visitors to Bo-shal must tread, meaning Alex was on the wrong side of the village. He took a moment to admire the scenery, the great sloping track, the snow caped trees and the clear grey sky. From the ground it was beautiful, yet he longed to gaze upon it from the sky, to see the world through the eyes of the majestic beasts of the sky.

"Soon I will be a Rider, then all my dreams will come true." Alex spoke to himself.

He turned and began to head back towards the centre of the village. It was then that he noticed a particularly strange tent. It was white with large vertical purple strips breaking up the white background. It had a large entrance with a small cover over it, held up by two poles joined to the bottom of the tent. There was something ominous about the tent, yet Alex felt drawn to it. He lifted the cloth that covered the entrance and proceeded inside. The tent was a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside. The inside of the tent was illuminated by a small Dwarven artificial lantern, a crystal that shone like a real flame, hanging from the centre of the tent. The tent interior was brown with a golden tint from the reflections of numerous gold necklaces and other expensive jewellery. They all looked incredibly expensive so he decided to leave before he broke anything. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, one of the necklaces began to shine brighter than the others. He went over to it to investigate. The necklace in question was shaped like a dragon, embroidered with many small jewels, yet when he ran his thumb along its surface; it was quite rough, rougher than any necklace he'd ever seen before.

"That is a very rare necklace you have there." A voice called from behind him. Alex quickly spun around, knocking over some of the necklaces. He bowed his head to the man and began to apologize and pick up the necklaces, though his petite form only made the mess he'd made worse. When he didn't hear the man, whom he presumed to be the trader, complain he turned round slowly to face him. The man before him sat at the table near the back of the tent, a massive cloak covering his body. From under the hood he could see a strand of purple hair. *Must be from some distant land or something.* Alex thought. The trader stood, walked over to the mess and, with a flurry of arms, had fixed it in a matter of moments.

"Please be careful. This stuff is quite expensive." The trader remarked, voice void of emotion. He led Alex towards the table and sat him down before he did anything else. "Now what do you want?" He asked abruptly.

Alex was a little startled by the abruptness of the question. He explained the feeling he'd felt when he approached the tent.

"And the first thing you went towards was the dragon scale necklace." Alex nodded. The trader placed his hand on his chin and began to rub the stubble that had begun to grow there. "Let me guess, you like, no wait, adore dragons?" He asked. When Alex nodded a massive grin appeared on the traders, less than visible, face. "Then do I have something for you." He reached under the table and brought out a medium sized chest and a large square covered in a red velvet cloth. He rested his left hand on the velvet saying, "I think this would interest you the most." He pulled off the velvet cloth revealing a large white tome, embroidered with gold lace along its massive spine and cover. On the cover was a strange runic language that Alex didn't recognize, but the text below it, as well as the picture, was easy enough to recognize. The picture was of a gold dragon's eye with black scales around it making up a portion on a dragon's head. The text read, "All you need to know about Dragons". Alex stared at the book, hands hovering the book, hesitating to touch it. "Go on, have a read." The merchant reassured him. When moments Alex had flung the heavy book open, found a random page and began to read. It detailed many different facts about the average dragon, what they eat everything that you would want to know about dragons. "This book was written by Master Ty-Mry, the dragon breeder, himself. It tells you everything you'd want to know about dragons. Their history, a brief description on what they were like during the Human-Dragon war, all their abilities and even how they breed." Alex looked up at the trader with a worried look on his face. "There's and index at the front so you can miss it out if you want. But the best part of this book is the last chapter." He flicked through the pages until he reached the final chapter. He pointed at the top of the page for Alex to read. When he read it he nearly fainted. The chapter was entitle, "How to speak dragon tongue". "Knew you would like this part."

"How much?" Alex asked, giddy.

The trader scratched his stubble again. "Well, seeing as this is a common enough book in the big cities, I'll give it to you for one silver and fifty pieces."

"I thought you said it was common in the big cities?" Alex asked dismayed.

"Yeah, I did. Doesn't mean it isn't expensive. This is cheaper than what they'd sell it in the cities." Grumbling, Alex took out what was left of his money and handed it over. "Thank you for your business." The trader grinned. He wrapped the velvet over the book again and handed it to Alex, who just managed to hold onto it. Alex tucked the massive tome under his coat and tied to his torso, which the tome nearly equalled in size making it difficult to walk.

He turned to leave when he remembered about the chest. "What's in the chest?" He asked. The trader looked at the chest with contempt.

"This is the bane of my existence." He opened up the chest and revealed a large oval object. It was a dark blue stone with orange-red veins spanning across it like the weeds. The texture looked so smooth that Alex doubted he could hold it without it slipping out of his hands. Yet, when the trader passed it to him to hold, he found its surface to be very rough.

He wondered what it was. "What is it?"

"It is a replica dragon's egg." the trader said as he took the egg off Alex.

"Replica?"

"That's what the dwarves call it. You can the resemblance though between this and the real thing. This stone is a testimony to the exquisite detail that the dwarves are famous for. I was lucky enough to compare this with a proper dragon's egg. The only person who could tell the difference was the dragon who laid the egg itself. Truly, a wonder of Dwarven craftsmanship. I had hoped to take it to the Imperial city and sell it for a fortune. Sadly, I couldn't get a buyer. I've been traveling around with this thing for three years now and still no-one has been interested in buying it."

"How much have you been selling it for?" Alex asked interested, hoping for a low price.

"I've tried to sell it for around a hundred gold pieces. Heck, even fifty silvers! Now I'd just be glad for one single silver piece."

Alex lowered his head, sad heartened. *If it was a few coppers he could scrounge some up from somewhere but a silver.* He was about to leave when bag containing the Dwarven Gumdrops knocked into his leg. Then it hit him. Sometimes Daniel would buy something by giving the trader something of equal value. "You ever heard of the policy of Equivalent Exchange?" He asked the trader.

"Yes, every trader has. It's at the core of the trader's creed." The trader answered.

Alex lifted out a bag of Gumdrops. "I'll trade you this bag of Dwarven Gumdrops for that stone."

The trader weighted up the bag, examined the contents and eventually popped one into his mouth. "Not bad." He slurred with the gumdrop still in his month. "Alright, you've got a deal." He put the stone back into its box, sealed it and helped Alex put it into his sack with the rest of the gumdrops. Alex smiled and waved as he walked out of the tent and back into the snowy outside. After he fixed the sack over his back, he walked back towards where Daniel had left him.

Andrew King

The trader walked out the back of the tent to two figures; one bond on the ground squirming, the other looming above him in a cloak similar to trader's.

"You are one sly Kerron." The cloaked stranger started. "You were meant to just give him the egg and the book."

"Well, after all the trouble we went through to "acquire" them, we deserve something for our troubles." Kerron opened up the bag in his hands and removed another gumdrop. He offered the bag to the other stranger who accepted with a clawed hand. "Man, we need to get your talons trimmed Khranarion. They might hurt someone." Kerron added.

Khranarion just snorted. "Last I checked, that was the idea." They both laughed until a muffled scream interrupted them. They looked down at the bound man who stared back at them, petrified. "What should we do with him?" Khranarion asked.

"Leave him. His fate is none of our concern." Kerron replied, coldly.

"He may not be our responsibility but whether he lives or dies is up to us." Khranarion replied. "And his death could bode ill for us." He ripped a length of cloth off the tent and draped it over the bound figure's form. "That should keep him warm enough until someone can find him."

"Well guess that's your good deed done for the day." Kerron started to walk towards the treeline of Alan-or. "Come on. We deserve a drink, and I know this nice little pub in Siylene."

Alex lay under his bed covers, the giant tome resting on him. He had been home for around six hours and had spent most of that reading. While some of the bigger more complicated words eluded him, he managed to grasp most of what the books was teaching him. He spent most of his time reading about new born dragons, mainly because he could understand the very simple language that it spoke in, as if it was written with him in mind. He read about how when a dragon first hatches the first being it sees it treats as its mother, like most other animals, and forms a mental link with them. It also stated that, having laid the egg, the original mother might have died so it is up to the being it formed the mental link with to look after him. He'd fallen asleep while reading a section on names of dragons and thus failed to see that just opposite him his bookcase, which contained more trinkets and colourful stones than books, had started to shake. On the middle shelf was the replica egg. It just lay on the shelf, the envy of all the other precious stones, shaking back and forth, edging closer to the edge. Eventually it fell to the floor, waking Alex. Looking around, his room was pitch black. *This is really past my bedtime.* He thought, sliding out from the covers off his bed and crawled over the floor to the egg. *How did you end up down here?* He examined the egg and found a massive crack on its surface. *Just my luck. Have it for a few hours and it's already damaged.* He was about to put it back on its shelf when a small squeaking sound reached his ear. He looked around the room, thinking it a mouse, trying to find the source. Then he heard the squeaking again, this time it was louder and sounded closer to him. He searched franticly for the mouse, stone still in hand. He lowered it to the ground and began to search under his bed for the source. The squeaking was more frantic now, as if the mouse was scared. Suddenly the squeaking stopped as Alex was half-way underneath his bed. It was replaced by a cracking sound. This time the sound was coming from directly behind Alex. Pulling himself out from under his bed he turned to see the stone cracking all over its shell. Alex was about to grasp it to try and keep it together when part of the stone flew across the room. The fragment hit the wooden wall with an almighty thump before disintegrating into a million pieces. Alex shot his eyes back towards the stone and found a small scaled leg protruding through the gap. With one part of the stone gone the rest just fell apart revealing the creature which lay within. It looked like a lizard, scaled blue from its head to the tip of its tail, both of which were long and muscled. It had massive legs for something of its size and spikes that ran along its spine. The top of its body, at the base of the spikes and at the elbow and knee joints were coloured orangey-red. Its total size was no bigger than Alex's torso. Though it wasn't the size of this magnificent creature that mesmerized him, it was the massive folded flaps that hung by its side. They were small sapphire blue frames with orangey-red leather skin between them, turning bluer nearer the small, bony frames. Alex couldn't believe his eyes. Right before him, sprawling across the floor, was a baby dragon! So many questions spun around his head, but the biggest one had to be, "How did this happen to me?" He spun around, still on the floor, and flicked through his tome back to the part on young dragonlings. He scanned over everything trying to find the part about what they eat, their sleeping habits, everything he thought he'd need to know to look after it. Then he remembered how a newly born dragon would form a mental link with the first creature it saw. He turn around slowly to face the dragon. There it stood, head cocked to the side, staring at him with its deep blue eyes, humming. As it stared at him he felt something burrow into his mind, causing him some discomfort. When it finally stopped a wave of new emotions flooded into his head. Alex realized that these thoughts were not his own but where coming from someone else. Then it hit him.

"Uh oh."

"Do you think Alex is okay?" Katherine asked Daniel, a pair of knitting needles in her hands.

"What do you mean?" Daniel answered, a longsword and whetstone in his hands.

"Well he rushed through his dinner and tried to sneak up the stairs with his sack."

"Now that you mention it, he did act suspicious when we found him. He was walking funny and that sack of his looked like it had more than six bags of those Dwarven Gumdrops he likes so much."

"I'm going to go and see what he's hiding." Katherine said, placing her knitting needles on the nearby table.

"I'd leave him be. You know what boys of his age are..." He was interrupted by a loud bang that came from upstairs.

"What was that?" Katherine asked.

"I'm not sure," Daniel answered, sword in hand. "But I don't like it."

They crept up the stairs towards Alex's room, where they heard a strange squeaking noise accompanied by Alex's pleas to stop. Katherine knocked on his door and the ruckus inside stopped.

"Alex, is everything okay in there?"

"Everything's fine." Alex panted. "No need to open the door."

Not convinced, Daniel tried the door. It was locked. "Alex, open this door!" Daniel ordered.

"Little busy at the moment." He replied, chasing something around his room. There was a crash as something big fell over. Daniel tried the door again while Katherine kept calling out to Alex, with no reply.

"Right, I've had enough of this." Daniel began to ram into the door with his shoulder. Bit by bit the hinges began the give until the door fell inwards. They both rushed into the room, which was a mess. The wooden floor was scratched and torn, the bookcase was missing a few shelves, many of which were on the floor, and the contents of those shelves were either scattered around the floor or in pieces. Alex sat in the corner of the room, small cuts on his face. He lay with a bundle inside his shirt, wriggling and trying to get out. Before anyone could ask what had happened, a long blue head burst out the top of Alex's shirt and started to look around the room. Upon seeing Daniel and the sword in his hands, it tried to scurry out of Alex's grip, him trying to calm it down.

"Don't worry; he's not going to hurt you." Alex soothed, stroking the creatures head. He looked at Daniel and motioned for him to put the sword away.

After it was sheathed, Daniel asked the question that was on both Katherine and his minds, "What on earth is that thing?"

"It's not a thing!" Alex growled. He looked into its blue eyes. "It's a dragon." He turned his head to face them, the dragon mimicking his actions. "Can I keep her?"


	4. Chapter 4

The Dragon Lords Part 3-A Double Birthday?

Daniel slumped against the wall, shaking his head at what he had just heard. *A dragon! Here! In my house!* "Where did you get i..." the dragon interrupted him with a threatening, low growl. "Her. Where did you get her?"

"I bought her in the market." Alex answered innocently.

"How were you able to hide her until now?" Katherine asked.

"Wasn't too hard. She only hatched a few minutes ago."

"You bought a dragon egg? From who?" Daniel demanded.

"First off, he told me that it was a replica. Second, he never told me his name. But I do remember that his tent was on the far side of the village." Alex answered, still holding the dragon close to his breast. Eventually it stopped squirming and lowered its head and nuzzled into Alex's chest, falling asleep. Daniel looked at Katherine for any idea what to do next. Katherine walked over to Alex and began to lead him out of the room. "Where am I going?" He asked, becoming more worried.

"To get you and this little one cleaned up." Katherine answered. She turned to Daniel. "I'll be back in a few minutes to help you clean this mess up." With that she pushed Alex put of his room. Daniel took off his sword, leaned it against the wall and began to pick up the shelves that had fallen from the bookcase; many had broken into small pieces. Those that were intact he fitted back into the bookcase and place what remained of Alex's things onto them. Waiting for Katherine to return to help him with the rest of the mess, Daniel plopped himself onto Alex's bed. While on the bed, he noticed a large tome resting open on the bed. He picked it up and, with a hand on the page it was opened at, closed the book to read the title.

"All you need to know about Dragons. How convenient." Flicking back to the page his hand was on. "And he was reading about baby dragons. I'm starting to think that this is more than just luck. Is it fate that this has happened?" He began to read more while he listening carefully to the sounds wafting up from the washroom, from the sounds of water splashing to the dragon screeching as it flailed around in the water. When Katherine walked back into the bedroom, she brought a pair of brushes with her. Placing the tone back on the bed, he took a brush and began to sweep. He also explained to Katherine what he had read in Alex's book, about the mental link between a dragon and the first sentient being it sees.

"You think that is why she does whatever he says?" Katherine asked. Daniel looked at her funny. "Because she trust him via their mind thing?"

"Must be. After all, he's tasked with looking after her and she knows it."

"I still can't believe it. A dragon! Hatching to our little Alex!" Katherine giddily spoke.

"Guess this means that the Lords can't refuse him now, but how are we going to feed it? It's too young to hunt for its own food and we don't know how much it eats."

"We'll find a way." Katherine leaned against Daniel's arm. He folded his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. For a minute they just sat on Alex's bed and thought of what their next move would be. Eventually, Katherine stood up and walked to the door. "I think Alex should be done by now." She left the room with Daniel following close behind her. They entered the washroom to see Alex and his dragon playing in the water. The dragon was swimming and driving under the water, while Alex splashed water as it dived and made rings under and on the water with his arms that the dragon could swim through. They continued this for another minute until the dragon noticed Katherine and Daniel at the door. Katherine grabbed a towel and helped Alex out of the bath. "Would you mind grabbing him some dry clothes hun?" Katherine asked as she started to dry Alex off. The cuts on his face had closed over and the blood had been washed away. He had numerous scrapes across his torso, where he had held the dragon under his shirt. Near the centre of his chest the skin was red raw. That, too, he thought was because of the dragon. He left and returned to Alex's room, opened one of his drawers and lifted out a fresh pair of clothes. He walked back onto the washroom to see Alex drying off the dragon. He had a small towel wrapped around himself while he used another towel to dry the scales of his dragon. The scales glistened as they reflected the light from the candles at the sides of the room. The light that the scales reflected bathed the room in an almost spectral glow. Daniel understood now why dragons were considered one of the natural beauties of the world.

"You know, she needs a name." Daniel commented, handing Alex his dry clothes. "Got any ideas?"

"Well it needs to be something dragonish..." Katherine pondered. "How about Pan?"

"How is that a dragon's name?" Daniel retorted. "No, I think Pantheon would be a good name."

"That's a guy's name. You can't give a girl a guy's name!" Katherine responded. For the next few minutes they argued names the dragon should have while Alex changed into his new clothes. After his shirt was on he saw the dragon lying on the window ledge staring out into the starry night. Alex stared with her into the sky. The stars shone with a beautiful blue light into their dark backdrop. He looked back at the dragon and saw that the light reflected off her blue scales was similar to the light of the stars.

"I have an idea." Alex interrupted. Daniel and Katherine both stopped and waited for him to speak his idea. "How about Starfire?"

"Starfire? That's not very dragonish." Daniel replied.

"How did you think of that name?" Katherine asked.

"Well her scales sparkle like the stars in the sky," he indicated at the window, "and dragons breathe fire, so Starfire."

Before either of them could respond, the dragon hopped onto Alex's shoulder and twisted its neck to stare into his face. "I think she likes it." Katherine announced.

"What makes you say that?" Daniel asked.

Katherine just looked at the dragon and said, "Starfire." The dragon turned its head to face her. "There's your answer."

"Well, Starfire it is then." Daniel admitted, which was followed by laughter as Starfire turned to face him. When they had stopped, Starfire was looking at Alex, a confused feeling emanating from her mind. Alex simply patted her head. "Right, off to bed with the both of you." Daniel ordered as he began motioning Alex back to his room. Like he would any other night he got him into his bed, tucked him in and left the door open a bit. This time, he had to find another pillow for Starfire to rest on. Once he had, and she was on it, he watched her curl into a ball with her head touching the tip of her tail. He left the room quietly, letting them fall asleep, and returned downstairs to his chair, followed by Katherine.

"What a night!" She exclaimed, sinking into her chair. "Who would have thought anything like this could ever happen to us?"

"Yeah, and now Alex's birthday is going to be even more troublesome." Daniel responded.

"Why's that?"

Daniel pointed outside. The sky was pitch black with the stars clearly visible across the night sky. "My guess is that we were past midnight when she hatched so in the morning, when they wake up, we are going to have two birthdays to celebrate, so well have twice the amount of work to do." He stood and placed his sword on the stand by the fireplace and proceeded to walk up the stairs again. "I'm going to bed. See you in a few hours." He grumbled as he proceeded up the stairs, leaving Katherine alone downstairs.

"Men." She stood and walked to the fire and doused the flames.

The light shone through the open window and a brisk, cold chill brushed against Alex's cheek, drawing him away from his dreams. He opened his eyes slowly and blindly stared into his room, as he would everyday. He slowly pulled the covers off of himself, flung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. Or at least, that was what he had originally planned. When his foot touched the floor, he felt pain stab into it. Though the pain wasn't anything too serious, it did wake him up from his drowsy state of mind. He stared at the floor and saw that there were massive splinters spread across the floor. He brought his foot up to examine it while he thought about what had happened during the night. Then he remembered. He looked around his bed for any sign of Starfire but the pillow she was supposed to be sleeping on was vacant. Before he could search for her, a strange murmuring reverberated from the top of the bookcase. He looked up to see the beautifully scaled body of Starfire lying on top of the bookcase, her long neck twisting off the edge of the bookcase, staring at him with a gaze that seemed to look directly into his very soul.

"Morning sleepy head." Alex began. She mumbled lightly in reply. He forged a path over the damaged floor to where his shoes were kept and took a pair of leather boots. After he had fastened them, he heard the sound of wood creaking and the swoosh of air. Before he could turn around to investigate, he felt something hard impact against his back, nearly knocking him off his feet. When he regained his balance he felt a heavy weight clinging to his back. He twisted his head to see Starfire looking straight back at him, purring with content. Deciding to leave her on his back, Alex proceeded to step over the splintered floor, being careful not to step on any of the larger splinters. He soon made it out of his room without much difficulty and proceeded down to the hallway to the washroom. Upon entering Starfire leapt off his back and glided over to the edge of the bath. He plugged the sink and let it fill up with water. Like he did every morning he cupped his hands and began to wash his face with cold water, a very effective way to wake yourself up in the morning. After he had finished he turned his head to look at Starfire, who was distracted by the birds that flew in between the branches if a nearby tree, completely oblivious to anything else. Knowing she would never see it coming, Alex cupped his hands, filled them with water and threw it over Starfire. Surprisingly she moved clear of the water at the last moment, spinning around to look at him. She glared at him and let out a low warning growl. Surprised, Alex tried to splash her with more water, though now that she was facing him, the chances of the water touching her were incredibly low. She jumped, dived and twisted through the air with grace and precision, though she wasn't very good at steering. She eventually crashed into the wall head first and fell to the ground. When Alex failed to see her move, he jumped off his stool and crouched over Starfire's motionless body, gently lifting her up off the floor. "No, you can't be dead. I just got you!" He tried to nudge her awake. "Wake up Starfire, wake up!" She remained motionless. Fighting back the tears, he pulled her closer to his chest. "I'm sorry Star. I am so sorry." He closed his eyes and began to cry softly. Just as he felt at his lowest a presence brushed against his thoughts, a forgiving thought emanating from it. Suddenly, a warm, wet object brushed from the bottom of his right cheek up towards the bottom off his eyelid. He opened his eyes to see Starfire gazing up at him. Overjoyed that she was alive, Alex pulled Starfire closer in a massive hug. "I'm so glad that you're okay." She nuzzled into his chest and softly hummed, satisfied about something, though what it was Alex could not tell. He relinquished his grasp over her, lowering her back onto the floor, and wiped his face clean of the tears that he had been shedding. When he had finish he looked at Starfire, who had decided to sit on the floor, like a dog, and was swishing her tail from side to side. Alex beckoned for her to follow him. As he turned to leave, he saw Starfire get on all fours and lean forward, much like a predator about to pounce. When Alex was far enough away from her, she pounced up from the floor to the wall and ricocheted off the wall onto his back, causing him to stumble forward a bit. "I wish you would warn me when you're going to do that." Alex moaned. Starfire wrapped her tail around his waist, though she only managed to get it partially around it, and hooked her legs onto his back. Alex began his decent down the wooden staircase and to the world below him. The smell of something cooking smacked him in the face. When he had descended the stairs, Starfire leapt off his back and scampered around the house, with the same speed she had used when she had hatched. Then again, she had only seen the world through his room and the washroom. She was bound to be curious of everything new that she saw. She eventually found her way to the kitchen, by following the aroma that Alex had smelt when he was walking down the stairs. They found Katherine by a massive cast iron pot, stirring the contents with a large rod. Daniel was sitting at the table, a large bundle of paper in his hands. Neither of them noticed him or Starfire until she crept up to Katherine's feet and softly murmured. Katherine looked down, saw Starfire and greeted her like you would a baby.

"Aww, look at the wee baby dragon. Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl?" She bent down and began to stroke the scales around her head, with Starfire pushing into her hand. Katherine picked Starfire up and cradled her in her arms. She started to squirmed and tried to wriggle free but when Katherine stood up, she stopped as the smell of the food in the pot reached her nostrils. She poked her long head into the pot and licked her scaly mouth. "You hungry?" Katherine asked. She was surprised when Starfire responded by twisting her head, looking directly at her and licked her mouth again. "Did you just answer me?" Katherine asked. "Good girl! Who's a clever girl? Who's a clever girl?" Katherine began to scoop something out of the pot to give to Starfire when Daniel stood and placed the paper bundle that he was reading and walked over to Alex, who had just entered the kitchen.

"I was wondering when you two would wake up." Daniel said to Daniel as he tapped him gently on his shoulder and led him into the kitchen. He sat him down and watched as Starfire scoffed down a piece of meat that Katherine had given her. She eyed Katherine and tilted her head to the side and purred for more. "You're not getting any more until everyone else gets some first." Daniel told her. She turned her head towards him, showed her teeth and growled. "Don't you growl at me young lady. You are living in my house so you will follow my rules." After a few seconds of staring each other out Starfire conceded, ceased her growling and hid her fangs again, though she continued to stare at him with eyes filled with contempt. Alex could feel the hate and annoyance of Starfire's consciousness brushing against his own. She wasn't happy that her meal had been interrupted.

Alex tried to calm her down. "We need to eat as well Starfire." She turned to look at him, eyes remaining the same. "You wouldn't leave anything for us to eat if we didn't stop you." Her eyes softened and the hate-filled presence of her mind lessened to an annoyed understanding. Daniel walked over to her, which she responded to by taking a defensive stance, and when he was close enough, bent over so that he was eye level with Starfire.

"I never said that you couldn't have any more. I said you couldn't have any more until we got our share of the food. Once we have our reasonable portions, you can have the rest. I went out early this morning to buy more food to make sure that there was enough for you to eat." Starfire's stance relaxed and her mind transformed from a hate of Daniel to an admiration for him. She snaked her head closer to him and he began to stroke the scales on her head and the top of her neck with his thump. "Wow, I always imagined dragon scales to be hard and rough. Her's are soft and smooth." Daniel commented. Alex was about to verify what Daniel had just said when Katherine told them to sit down. She produced from a cupboard four large plates and a large bowl. Onto the plates she deposited a variety of vegetables and a few slices of meat, though on the fourth plate there were only a few vegetables compared to the massive portion of meat. Into the bowl she poured some water for Starfire to drink. Like a skilled waitress, Katherine carried the four plates over to the table and, after scolding Daniel for not getting out the glasses and cutlery, brought the bowl over and put it and Starfire's plate on the floor. As soon as the plate was on the floor, and Daniel was up to get the glasses, Starfire jumped off the counter and glided to where the plate was. Daniel returned to the table with the glasses, filled with different fruit juices, on an old brown wooden tray, knives and forks tucked into the edges of the tray. He placed the glasses and cutlery on the table in front of everyone, orange juice for Katherine, apple juice for Alex and black-current for Daniel. They sat down, gave thanks to the creator, then began to eat. Alex looked at Starfire to see how much of her food she'd eaten. To his surprise she was lying beside her plate, which was now empty of any meat, though she had left some of the vegetables that Katherine had given her. She had only been at the food for a minute at the most. Her bowl of water was half full.

"For something so small, she certainly eats her fill." Katherine commented. "I wonder how she knows only to eat the meat?"

"She's an animal." Daniel answered. "All animals have a natural survival instinct, dragons are no different."

"Do you think we're giving her the right type of food?" Alex asked.

With his mouth filled with his breakfast, Daniel answered; "Well, dragons eat meat and that's what we gave her. But I guess we should check that book of yours to see what exactly baby dragons should eat."

Alex finished off his breakfast quickly, excused himself from the table and was about to run back upstairs when Katherine called him back. "Where do you think you are going?"

"To grab the book." He tried to run off again; this time Daniel was the one to stop him.

"Not just yet you're not. There's something we need to give you first." He led him back to his chair and sat him down again. Starfire gazed up at him, wondering why he had sat back down. Alex pondered what it could be that Daniel was planning on giving him and why. He stared at Starfire to try and see if the answer lay within the vast emptiness of her eyes. He stared at her, trying to figure out why this day was important. Then, remembering what he had done the previous day, he started to shake with excitement. It was his birthday! Starfire gave him a questioning prod with her mind as to the meaning of "birthday". He didn't know how to explain it in words so he thought of the different emotions he had felt on he's previous birthdays when he had got his presents. This left her even more confused. Before Alex could explain further, Daniel returned with a blue parcel with a red ribbon tying it together in his arms.

"Happy birthday champ." Daniel smiled as he gave the present to Alex. Alex untied the ribbon and ripped off the wrapping paper to reveal a white box. Taking off its lid he revealed two books. The first was a worn out book with a brown cover, most of which was hanging off. On its cover where letters so faded that he couldn't make them out. The other book was a large green book with a red frame around the front cover which was obscured by a picture of a man wearing knight's armour, riding a massive red dragon, with black writing spread out on it. It read; "The Chronicles of the Dragon Knight. Volume one". "This is from both Katherine and me. We thought that you'd enjoy reading this," Daniel pointed at the green book.

"Thank you." Alex lifted out the green book and flicked through the pages. The writing was quite small, so as to get more words onto the page, but was big enough so that he could read some of the easier words. After scanning through some of the words, he closed the book and placed it back onto the table. "I think you'll need to help me with some of the big words."

"Sure, but I don't think you'll need much help reading this book." Daniel passed him the worn out book. "Most of the stuff in here are pictures."

Alex opened the book, careful not to damage it further. The pages were coloured brown with age but the contents on them had only faded a little. On the first page was a drawing of a soldier, clad in the traditional armour of the Royal Army. He had a long sword planted in the ground and resting in front of him with his hands resting on the pommel. Above the soldier were the words, "The Royal Officer's Handbook".

Alex stared at Daniel, not sure what to say, so Daniel beat him to it. "You want to know how to hold a sword; this will provide you with the different forms that officers in the army use. You will also find a section in their about basic battle tactics. I thought that it would be useful to you now that you are going to be a Rider."

"Bu..but this is your most prized procession." Alex stammered, shocked at the gift he'd been given. "Why would you give this away?"

"It's not like I won't see it again. Think of it as a loan. I'll let you keep it until you become a better swordsman than me."

Alex leapt off his chair and ran to hug Daniel, tears streaming from his eyes. "Thank you." Alex wept. Daniel hugged him tightly in return. Katherine walked over to him with another present in her hands. Her present was wrapped in brown paper with a red ribbon around it. When Alex removed the paper he saw a pair of new slacks and a set of new, white shirts.

"I had a look through your clothes and wasn't able to find anything that wasn't torn or full of holes, and with this little bundle of joy now in our lives," Katherine stroked the back of Starfire's head, "You'll probably fill these with holes as well."

"Thanks sis." Alex replied, the tears starting to recede. He put the lids back on the boxes and placed them on top of each other on the table.

"We have another surprise for you." Daniel said, drawing Alex's back to him again. "But first, we have something for Starfire." At the sound of her name, Starfire, who had been watching Alex patiently, turned her attention towards Daniel again. He produced from his pocket a small bundle, wrapped in blue paper, and tossed it to Starfire. She sniffed at the bundle, nudged it with her nose, then pounced upon it. She tore the paper off with her teeth and talons and revealed her prize underneath. It was a clump of venison. "I wasn't sure what to get a dragon for their birthday, especially something rushed, so I went for a walk in the forest, happened to find a deer by a watering hole which had a little "accident". I've got some more in the cellar for whenever you're ready. I'll have a look at that book of yours to see what I can get in town that might be more suitable." Daniel said towards Alex. Alex hopped off his chair, picked up his presents and was about to walk upstairs when he heard a small, squeak of a voice. The words it spoke were barely audible yet resonated with such a tone that you would have heard through the strongest roar of the wind.

"Thank you."

"Did you just hear that?" Katherine asked. Everyone looked around for the source of the voice, but found nothing. They listened carefully to see if they could hear the voice again. All they heard was Starfire noisily devouring her present.

Before anyone could say anything, the voice spoke again. "I am most happy with this present, Brother Daniel." Everyone looked at Starfire, who was now gazing up at them with her deep blue eyes.

"Was that you speaking just now?" Katherine asked.

Starfire nodded her head while the voice answered, "Yes, Sister Katherine."

"How?" Daniel asked. "How can you know our language and how are you speaking to us?"

"I took the words that I say from the mind of Keeper Alexander." Starfire answered. "As for how I am communicating with you, I am not entirely sure."

"Well, at least you can talk." Alex commented. Starfire walked over to him and brushed against his leg, her scales scratching against his legs.

"Guess you had better go get changed." Katherine told Alex. "You've got a big day ahead of you." She looked at Starfire. "Both of you." Starfire purred with happiness and jumped onto Alex's back, via bouncing off the wall.

"Could you give me some warning when you're about to do that?" Alex asked.

Starfire lowered her head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"What? Oh no, you didn't hurt me. It's just; sometimes I think I'll lose my balance and fall, hurting both of us." Alex explained. He picked up his presents and walked upstairs, chatting with Starfire as he went.

Daniel was about to stop him to give him his other present, but Katherine just placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Not yet."

"Guess it can wait." Daniel said, relaxing back into his chair and picking up the paper bundle he'd left on the table a few minutes beforehand.

"What's that you got there?" Katherine asked as she began to wash the dishes.

"Something I took off one of the farmhands. He called it a "newsletter". Apparently they contain the major news from around the Kingdom. It's a little out of date but still a pretty good read." He flicked through the pages, taking his time to read each line on the page. Some had pictures inscribed upon them, drawn with lifelike accuracy. One page drew his attention more than the others. It was a beautifully orientated page with gold banners snaking around the edges. At the top, in large writing, read "Crisis at White-Scar!" Daniel called Katherine over so she could read it. It stated that a few months prior an egg had been taken from the hatchery in the depths of White-Scar by a figure who had made their escape on the back of a large dragon. This information had only been released recently when the Dragon Lords had asked the other kingdoms for aid in finding the egg-snatcher. A reward was offered for anyone who had any information that might lead to his arrest. They both looked at each other when they saw the description of the egg.

"You don't think..." Katherine began.

Daniel interrupted her by pounding his fist into the table. "I let him go off on his own! I could have gotten him killed!" Daniel shouted, furious at the fact that he had let Alex go off on his own when someone dangerous enough to break into White-Scar and escape.

Katherine rested her hand upon his. "You weren't to know. Don't blame yourself for something that didn't happen."

"But why? Why did he come here? Why did he give the egg to Alex? Why? For what purpose?" Daniel questioned.

"I guess it's just fate." Katherine concluded as she stood to go back to washing the dishes again. Daniel, still frustrated, put the paper down, picked up his bow and quiver, which contained twenty arrows, from its perch by the door and strode out of the house. Katherine just sighed and continued to wash up.

A few hours had passed since Daniel had left with his bow. Alex was out in the yard playing with Starfire. The farmhands who had turned up for work were amazed at the sight of a baby dragon bounding around in the snow. The sight unnerved some, while the rest were distracted so much they had to splash cold water on their faces to keep themselves focused. Alex would sometimes pick up a snowball and throw it at then to try and get them to throw one back. Most were disciplined enough not to, but some decided to take a break from their work, mainly cleaning out the stables and tending to the cattle, and began to pelt him and Starfire with snowballs. Alex was an easy target to hit compared to Starfire. She dashed, jumped and dove to evade the snowballs. Alex tried to dodge but was hit no matter where he went, the incoming projectiles always managing to find their mark. Eventually he gave up trying to dodge and focused on firing a volley back. This proved even less successful as he had to stand still in order to find his targets. When he did, half the time they were too far away for him to reach. After failing at this, he just gave up all together and just lay in the snow. The sky hung motionless above him. The grey clouds of rain and snow looking very ominous in their sky-bound kingdom. He stared at the clouds and tried to see what different shapes he could make out of the different shapes. He must have been there for a while as Starfire was pressing against his mind, asking him what he was doing.

"Staring at the clouds. If you look carefully you can see different shapes. Look, that one looks like a bunny rabbit!" He pointed up at the cloud he was talking about. Starfire stared up at the clouds and Alex watched as her eyes widened as she tried to take all the clouds in. He put his head back onto the snow and continued to gaze up into the sky. He felt something crawl onto his chest though didn't tilt his head to see what it was, as he could guess. She curled up in a ball and lay on him as he gazed into the sky. They remained like that for a minute until Alex began to shiver, rousing Starfire.

"Are you feeling well, Keeper Alexander?" Starfire asked, concerned.

"Just a bit cold. I'll be fine once I warm up a bit." He motioned to get up causing Starfire to pounce off him. "You head back to the house. I'll be in in a second."

Starfire bowed her head in acknowledgement and began to bound back towards the house through the snow. Alex stood up, pressed the snow off himself and took a look around the farm one last time. He started to walk back towards the house when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a black figure coming into view. Upon closer inspection the figure was human but covered head to toe in matte black armour, with the exception of his arms which were left bare bar a pair of large black plated gauntlets. He had massive arms made of pure muscle. He wore a simple black Imperial helmet; Alex had seen them before when Daniel had taken him to one of the big cities a year ago to watch a procession, though the other armour was alien to him. He spotted Alex and began to stride over to him. It was at this point that Alex noticed the massive one sided great sword strapped to the warrior's back. When he finally reached him, the stranger towered above Alex at 6ft 7inches. Alex couldn't help but shake a little with fear as this behemoth shrouded him in darkness. He raised a hand and dropped onto one knee, hand resting on it.

"It's taken me a while to get here but after weeks of walking I'm finally here." The giant spoke, his voice resonating with power and kindness, slightly easing Alex's nerves. "I take it that you are Alexander Foldon?" he asked.

"How do you know my name?"

"I came to deliver something to you." He took a small rectangular wooden box from a pouch on his belt. "Happy birthday big man."

He passed the box to Alex, who began to inspect it. It was black with a blood red border around the edges. It wasn't overly extraordinary. It had a bronze latch on the front sealing the box together. Alex opened the latch to reveal the prize inside. Resting on a bed of red velvet was a knife in its beautifully decorated black sheath. It had white lines carved into the shape of a dragon on the sheath. "Thank you." Alex began. "But I was told never to accept gifts from strangers."

"Oh, I'm not a stranger." The giant lifted his hands to his head and undid the straps that held his helmet in place. He lifted it off to reveal a round, thin face. His hair was cut so small that if anymore was taken off he'd be bald. His eyes were a dull brown and he had a small scar on the left side of his mouth, cutting across both lips. Alex stared at the face with amazement.

"Bradley?"

"Hay Alex. You're looking well." Bradley replied. Before he could say anything else, Alex had charged into him and wrapped his arms around you.

"I finally get to meet you. I'm so glad."

"Same here. I can't believe how big you've grown in just a few years."

"What are you doing here?"

"I got tired of fighting everyday. So I decided to leave."

"Wait, are you a de...des..."

"Deserter? No. The guys I worked with were..." Bradley was cut off when someone called from the house. Alex turned to see Katherine standing at the door to the house and Starfire bounding across the snow towards him.

It was at that moment when time seemed to slow down. Alex felt something pull him back as Bradley charged forward, drawing his massive sword, towards Starfire. She noticed him, stopped and bounced backwards just in time as Bradley's massive sword dug itself into the ground, causing snow and dirt to explode into the air. Alex tried to get onto his feet but by the time he was on his feet again, Bradley had taken three more swings, the third, a strike from the blunt end of his sword, striking her in her side as she jumped to avoid the previous strike. She lay in the snow, motionless, in pain. Bradley raised his sword for the killing blow. Alex stepped in front of him just as the blade was coming down. Bradley managed to cease his attack just as the blade was a millimetre from Alex.

"What are you doing Alex?" Bradley asked.

"Stopping you from hurting her." Alex replied.

"Move Alex." Bradley ordered, an emotionless expression on his face.

"No! I won't let you hurt her." Alex said defiantly.

"I said MOVE!" Bradley shouted.

"I won't! I won't let you hurt my dragon!" Alex defied once more, tears streaming down his face.

Bradley relaxed his stance and lowered his sword, a concerned expression on his face. "Your dragon?"

Katherine, who had just arrived, responded with a slap to Bradley's face. "What do you think you are doing?"

Ignoring her question, he asked, "What do you mean your dragon?"

"She hatched to him early this morning." Katherine answered, turning to see Alex kneeling beside Starfire, trying to calm her down, tears streaming down his face.

"How could this happen?" Bradley asked, astonished.

"I bought her at market." Alex stammered.

Bradley picked up his sword and returned it to its resting place on his back. "Then I have nothing to fear, and I owe you both an apology."

"Why did you attack her anyway?" Katherine asked. "You weren't like this when you left for the war."

"A lot of things can change when you spend most of your life fighting against the Disciples." Bradley began. "It's a long story, but let's just say that I don't work for the Empire anymore." He lifted up his left pauldon to reveal a small tattoo. It was a dragon's head with two swords crossing diagonally behind it.

Alex stared in horror. It was the emblem of the Dragon Slayers.


End file.
